HTC head honcho teases rumored upcoming Android handset

Hopefully we’ll get a closer look at the device in NYC later this month.

As Mobile World Congress fast approaches, we're expecting more handset rumors and announcements to crowd the newsroom. On the Android front, rumor has it that HTC will launch the successor to the Droid DNA, and we're already seeing leaks of this so-called M7 handset crop up on enthusiast blogs across the Web.

At HTC’s year-end party in Taipei, CEO Peter Chou walked up on stage to thank the M7 team for their devoted diligence on getting all of the inner workings of the device finalized. Chou played with the handset on stage, snapping a picture of the crowd in front of him as a “great opportunity for testing.” All of this was recorded by a very shaky camera (clip available below), but it could be an indicator that the M7 is HTC’s next venture.

HTC CEO Peter Chou leads his employees in a victory chant.

The Android handset has been rumored to have a March 8 release on multiple US carriers. It will allegedly feature a 4.7-inch 1080p full HD Super LCD3 display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 12 megapixel rear camera. It may also contain a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, though it’s unclear whether it will be a Tegra 4 or a new Snapdragon 600 series SoC. The M7 will likely also feature HTC’s upcoming Sense UI 5.0, as well as a 2300 mAh battery.

Be sure to join Ars for coverage from the official HTC event in New York City on February 19, where we'll be in attendance to see what the company has in store and whether or not it will announce the M7 handset.

24 Reader Comments

Let me get this straight: a 4.7" 1080p display, quad core CPU, presumably a powerful GPU, and 2300mAh battery? What other accessories is HTC going to introduce next, a portable power pack to wirelessly keep your phone charged in your pocket while you use the mini-handset?

I'm still waiting for Jellybean on my One S. Decent phone but I wouldn't buy another HTC based on this tardiness.

A-fucking-men.

I don't care if it has lasers and a force field, I'll never buy another HTC product again. I ALREADY bought their "flagship" phone, the HTC One X, which was essentially relegated to second-class status 4 months later upon the release of their next "flagship" phone, the HTC One X+. With nary a software update in sight, and a locked bootloader to boot! (No pun intended.)

I'm still waiting for Jellybean on my One S. Decent phone but I wouldn't buy another HTC based on this tardiness.

It should come... eventually. If you're feeling adventurous, there's a RC-quality 4.1 ROM available that will work without much trouble. Early adopters noted poor battery life, but I think that most of the worst issues have been sorted out there by the community. There's also several ROMs based on the official WWE JB ROM. The biggest caveat to those is that WiFi won't work unless you flash some other items -- and in order to do that (if your HBOOT has been updated), you have to brick the phone and then resurrect it. All the nasty details are on XDA if you want more info.

the HTC One X, which was essentially relegated to second-class status 4 months later upon the release of their next "flagship" phone, the HTC One X+. With nary a software update in sight, and a locked bootloader to boot! (No pun intended.)

You can't unlock the bootloader via htcdev.com? Or are you talking about S-OFF?

1080p baby! I can see pixels when I'm 18mm away from the screen so this is definitely welcome. I'm sure the extra pixels will be appreciated and won't at all tax the cpu/gpu while I'm sure all 4 cores running will certainly be easy on the battery too. Even if it is a huge drain on power, the battery is tremendously more impressive with a whopping 10% more capacity than what the EVO LTE has.

The only downfall I really see with this is the 4.7" size. I can still fit 4.7" into my pants (pocket, people, my pocket) and I'd prefer something that was too cumbersome to sit down while stowing like the Note.

I'm still waiting for Jellybean on my One S. Decent phone but I wouldn't buy another HTC based on this tardiness.

A-fucking-men.

I don't care if it has lasers and a force field, I'll never buy another HTC product again. I ALREADY bought their "flagship" phone, the HTC One X, which was essentially relegated to second-class status 4 months later upon the release of their next "flagship" phone, the HTC One X+. With nary a software update in sight, and a locked bootloader to boot! (No pun intended.)

Never again, HTC. Never again.

Let's not forget the HTC Thunderbolt (first Verizon 4G phone) that is STILL running 2.3 Gingerbread. HTC promised 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich by August 2012 and has flip-flopped repeatedly on whether it's ever coming. Anyone considering an HTC phone should realize their phone may not ever receive a single Android OS update.

HTC has permanently lost many customers due to this recurring disappointment. I just ordered a new Andriod phone and excluded all HTC products from consideration (I still have a Thunderbolt).

I'm still waiting for Jellybean on my One S. Decent phone but I wouldn't buy another HTC based on this tardiness.

A-fucking-men.

I don't care if it has lasers and a force field, I'll never buy another HTC product again. I ALREADY bought their "flagship" phone, the HTC One X, which was essentially relegated to second-class status 4 months later upon the release of their next "flagship" phone, the HTC One X+. With nary a software update in sight, and a locked bootloader to boot! (No pun intended.)

Never again, HTC. Never again.

Let's not forget the HTC Thunderbolt (first Verizon 4G phone) that is STILL running 2.3 Gingerbread. HTC promised 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich by August 2012 and has flip-flopped repeatedly on whether it's ever coming. Anyone considering an HTC phone should realize their phone may not ever receive a single Android OS update.

HTC has permanently lost many customers due to this recurring disappointment. I just ordered a new Andriod phone and excluded all HTC products from consideration (I still have a Thunderbolt).

I definitely agree. Combined with the fact that I don't want any of my money going towards funding the atrocious combination of hype, name dropping, shoddy quality, and low class audio engineering that is Beats by Dr. Dre, I'm definitely going to pass on all HTC products.

HTC definitely need to make a much greater effort to provide software updates and should drop all attempts to stop hardware owners from flashing custom roms - that goes for a lot of other manufacturers too. Oh, and the pre-installed crapware protected from deletion many phone providers and network operators land us with has to stop too. However, HTC is far from alone here.

I have found HTC hardware to be generally well made and the only smartphone I've ever owned with a GPS that works well without assistance data, cell triangulation and network locating is my HTC (Desire Z). This is a common situation when you actually need GPS, for example abroad or hiking in the hills. Seems strange the HTC is so much better in the GPS department since it uses the same Qualcomm GPS solution as other phones I've owned or tried, but performs so much better. It might be a niche thing, but I really value a quick and accurate unassisted GPS in a smart phone.

Let's not forget the HTC Thunderbolt (first Verizon 4G phone) that is STILL running 2.3 Gingerbread. HTC promised 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich by August 2012 and has flip-flopped repeatedly on whether it's ever coming. Anyone considering an HTC phone should realize their phone may not ever receive a single Android OS update.

HTC has permanently lost many customers due to this recurring disappointment. I just ordered a new Andriod phone and excluded all HTC products from consideration (I still have a Thunderbolt).

I guess better late than never (or at least it look's like it'll be released):

Let's not forget the HTC Thunderbolt (first Verizon 4G phone) that is STILL running 2.3 Gingerbread. HTC promised 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich by August 2012 and has flip-flopped repeatedly on whether it's ever coming. Anyone considering an HTC phone should realize their phone may not ever receive a single Android OS update.

HTC has permanently lost many customers due to this recurring disappointment. I just ordered a new Andriod phone and excluded all HTC products from consideration (I still have a Thunderbolt).

I'll believe it when my shit turns purple, etc. This announcement from Verizon is certainly the most official and most promising announcement of the 4.0 ICS rollout. However, for me and many others, this is far too little, far too late. The back-and-forth on whether the update was coming is what pushed me to purchase a new phone, and is perhaps the most insulting to me as a consumer.

On a related note, I'm also dumping Verizon, even though they have the best coverage in my area by far. My phones have been particularly bad, with the WiFi completely broken, dismal battery life after a months of use, random reboots, and almost nobody can hear my deep voice on the other end. I've received replacement phones, which don't solve most of these issues. No offer of a comparable/new model. I tried contacting HTC directly, but that got nowhere. My only satisfaction is that I ran up the 4G data bill on my grandfathered-in unlimited data plan, watching Netflix etc.

For the record, I just tried the OTA update, and there is none available.

I thought it was released months ago? I have at least received JB update for One S (international GSM model, unlocked).

AFAIK, that's the only JB update that's been released -- no carrier has released an update yet.

So, the real problem isn't that HTC doesn't release updates - the twisted carrier situation in the US is.

Here in (Northern) Europe people pretty much refuse to buy "contracts" or locked phones and go with month-to-month contracts and buy their own phones. Actually such lockups were illegal here in .fi until 2008 or so... I don't understand how people there put up with that, also monthly prices for these 2-year "phone plans" are plain insane and have ridiciously low data caps. What does carriers have to do with phones anyway? They're only providing the pipes. I don't get it

Florence Ion / Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.